WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The West Liberty University baseball team heads into a pivotal four-game Mountain East Conference series against Fairmont State this weekend in Morgantown.

With just eight games remaining in the regular season, the Hilltoppers (19-23 overall, 9-11 MEC) trail the Falcons (19-20 overall, 12-7 MEC) for third place in the MEC North Division standings, making this weekend a critical matchup in the postseason race.

West Liberty is coming off a 2-2 split against Salem at Kovalick Field and looks to snap a four-game skid against Fairmont State. Meanwhile, the Falcons have dropped three of their last four games.

At the plate, the Hilltoppers are hitting .280 as a team, ranking sixth in the MEC, while Fairmont State boasts a .310 team average, good for third in the league. On the mound, WLU carries a 7.53 ERA (9th MEC), compared to Fairmont's 6.80 ERA (7th MEC).

Offensively, Will Balgo continues to lead the way for the Black and Gold, batting .371—11th-best in the conference. Ryan Talbert (.317) and Adam Och (.300) are also key contributors. William Glick paces the team with 38 RBIs (5th MEC), followed by Talbert with 31.

On the mound, Tyler Skeen leads the WLU starters with a 5.24 ERA (10th MEC) and 42 strikeouts (11th MEC) over 46.1 innings pitched.

For Fairmont State, Quintin Reep is the offensive standout, hitting .383—sixth in the MEC. Zach Brennan leads the Falcons with 35 RBIs (8th MEC), while Tyler Wilkinson anchors the pitching staff with a 5.36 ERA (11th MEC) and three complete games, which ranks second in the conference.

First pitch for the weekend series is set for Saturday 1 p.m. at Mylan Park in Morgantown, as both teams look to solidify their positions in the MEC playoff race.